Your weekend: out and about

Food & wine

FOOD TOUR

EAT at some of Melbourne's finest restaurants, walk it off and then eat again in the Foodies' Walking Tour of Melbourne. Beginning with coffee and Argentinian pastry at San Telmo, the tour takes in tastings at some of the city's Greek, Chinese and Sri Lankan restaurants before finishing at Cumulus Inc for a glass of wine and treats from the kitchen. The tour is on foot and lasts four hours. Bookings essential.Today 11.30am, meet at the corner of Spring and Little Collins streets, $125, melbournefoodtours.com

JAPANESE

CHEF'S Armoury is hosting a free workshop that promises to demystify Japanese salads and salad dressings. Discover the essential ingredients used in Japanese salad dressings in order to recreate them at home. Register online. Today 11am-12:30pm, Chef's Armoury, 422 Church Street, Richmond, free, chefsarmoury.com

BEER

MORE than 40 brewers gather for the Ballarat Beer Festival, from small-batch craft brewers such as Bridge Road Brewers and Buckleys Beer, to the bigger names including James Squire and Little Creatures. Food accompaniments include wood-fired pizzas and paella, and entertainment includes performances by The Beards and Gold Fields. With no fewer than 150 beers to sample, be sure to take little sips.Today 11am-8pm, City Oval, Ballarat, $15-$40 (family $95), 132 849, ballaratbeerfestival.com.au

Markets

FAIRFIELD

THE Orange Lady (also known as Gabbie) is at Fairfield Farmers' Market today with Valencias, fresh orange juice, lemonade granita and new-season grapes. And at the meatier end of the spectrum, look out for Pacdon Park's pork pies, apple and cider pork snags, black and white puddings and haggis. Today 9am-1pm, Fairfield Primary School, Wingrove Street, Fairfield, free, vicfarmersmarkets.org.au

RIDDELLS CREEK

RIDDELLS Creek farmers' market turns five today. Along with the produce, including beetroot, spring onions and spinach, there will be plenty of entertainment for the kids including a jumping castle, live music and a visit from Edgar's Mission, a not-for-profit sanctuary for rescued farm animals. Lorenzo Perato will have beans and Duck Puddle Farm will be back at the market with heirloom tomatoes and zucchini.Today 9am-1pm, Main Road, Riddells Creek, free entry, vicfarmersmarkets.org.au

FITZROY

THE Fitzroy Market brings together roughly 50 stallholders selling a mix of secondhand and handmade goods. This is Fitzroy, so expect hipsters hawking pre-loved wares, as well as entrepreneurial creatives selling locally made items. There is food, live music and the gold-coin entry fee goes to Fitzroy Primary School and local charities. Today 10am-3pm, Fitzroy Primary School, Napier Street, Fitzroy, gold coin entry, fitzroymarket.com

EVERYTHING on offer from the 70-plus vendors at Williamstown Craft Market should be handmade, handcrafted or grown in Australia by the stallholder. But that doesn't prevent an international element seeping in, with Gary's Dutch Poffertjes, a European treat that is about the size of a 50-cent piece and tastes like a pikelet. Other attractions include handcrafted rocking horses, leather goods and artisan jewellery. Tomorrow 10am-4pm, Commonwealth Reserve, Nelsons Place, Williamstown, free, williamstowncraftmarket.com.au

Out of town

FESTIVAL

OZ-ROCK and gourmet food don't sound like the most natural of combinations, but the organisers of Harvest ‘n' Graze would beg to differ. Located 20 minutes drive east of Geelong on the Bellarine Estate, the festival combines 40 stalls of regional produce (cheese, wine, olives, boutique beers, prepared meals) with a line-up of live music including Sarah and the King Bees, Corner Shop Kids and headliner Daryl Braithwaite. There will also be cooking demonstrations, pony rides and face painting for kids. Tomorrow 10am-6pm, Bellarine Estate, 2270 Portarlington Road, Bellarine, $29-$35 (under-16 free), 9528 5045, harvestngraze.com

EXHIBITION

BENDIGO Art Gallery has acquired a suite of 11 works by Bill Henson, one of Australia's most prominent living artists. Henson's work has been exhibited at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and at the Venice Biennale. The exhibition allows viewers an immersive experience in the artist's most recent series. Until February 24.Today and tomorrow 10am-5pm, 42 View Street, Bendigo, free, 5434 6088, bendigoartgallery.com.au

FRANKSTON

AS WELL as all the rides, amusements, food and drink stalls and live music you'd expect at the Frankston Waterfront Festival, there are a few surprises. Along with dancing displays and workshops, the Melbourne Tigers will be giving a basketball demonstration. And in the water, you can try scuba diving and kayaking or watch the Victorian Open Stand Up Paddle Championships. Tonight, stick around for the fireworks over Port Phillip Bay.Today 10am-10pm, tomorrow 10am-6pm, Pier Promenade, Frankston, free, 1300 322 842, frankston.vic.gov.au

CONCERT

"EVERYTHING about you: your mannerisms, your look, are so like Kylie it's scary!" said Ronan Keating to Angie Hilton, star of The Australian Kylie Show. Singer Hilton (formerly of girl band Sirens) promises to deliver the best of Kylie's hits and costumes from the past three decades. The ticket price includes lunch and a glass of wine. Tomorrow 11am-4pm, Rochford Wines, 878-880 Maroondah Highway, Coldstream, $53.50, rochfordwines.com.au

Family

Discover the essential ingredients used in Japanese salad dressings at Chef's Armoury.

THEATRE

SHIVER me timbers! South Wharf gets salty as The Australian Shakespeare Company presents an adventure-filled, family-friendly children's show, Caribbean Pirates at the Polly Woodside. The one-hour show features Captain Cutthroat and his pirate gang, with plenty of tall tales and short fuses, along with the occasional shanty. Today 10am and 6pm, Polly Woodside, 2A Clarendon Street, South Wharf, $25, 136 100, ticketmaster.com.au

CREATIVE WRITING

LETTERBOX is a creative writing workshop for children and young people facilitated by Melbourne "locative literature" artist Matt Blackwood, who explores the intersection between narrative fiction and installation. Inspired by the War Horse exhibition, which has been developed with the National Theatre of Great Britain, LetterBox invites participants to write a letter from the perspective of a historical object from the First World War. Sessions run for 90 minutes. Today 11am and 2pm, Hugh Williamson Room, Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, city, $12, 1300 182 183, artscentremelbourne.com.au

LEGO

WE DON'T want to build it up too much, but Brickvention is the most significant weekend on the calendar for dedicated Lego fans. Creations on display include trains, castles, pirate ships, spaceships and architecture, and there are workshops, competitions and special merchandise for sale. Tickets only available online.Today and tomorrow 9.30am-5.30pm, Royal Exhibition Building, Nicholson Street, Carlton, $6-$12, brickventures.org.au

FILM

TONIGHT Rise Of The Guardians (2012) screens at Moonlight Cinema, a family-friendly DreamWorks animation epic about an evil spirit who launches an assault on earth, and the "immortal guardians" who team up to save the planet and protect the innocent children. Tomorrow night it's a film about some less innocent youngsters on their own epic coming-of-age journeys, in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). Tonight and tomorrow 8.30pm, Moonlight Cinema, Royal Botanic Gardens, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, $14-$32, moonlight.com.au

Frankston Waterfront Festival has plenty of rides, amusements, food and drink stalls and live music.

Elsewhere

TOUGH MUDDER

BILLED as "probably the toughest event on the planet", the endurance contest Tough Mudder is roaring around Phillip Island this weekend. It's too late to register to compete (what a shame), but spectators are welcome to look on as innocent civilians put themselves through the "Arctic Enema" ice bath, the "Kiss of Mud" slide and an electric fence run. Then of course you can offer your congratulations and commiserations at the post-party. Today and tomorrow, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Back Beach Road, Cowes, $40, toughmudder.com.au

KIDS WORKSHOP

KIDS in the Studio: Screen Adventures lets young audiences live their on-screen dreams in front of the green screen in a hands-on workshop. Kids will be able to choose their own setting for an adventure (think alien spacecraft, haunted house, fairy castle, or the Wild West...) and star in a movie, before watching it with the group. Recommended for kids aged six to 12. Sessions run for two hours, and bookings essential. January 21-25, 10am and 1pm, Studio 1, ACMI, Federation Square, $15, acmi.net.au

GARDEN PARTY

McCLELLAND Sculpture Park + Gallery is holding a garden party and small sculpture fair. The party will be hosted in the outdoor sculpture park, which showcases more than 70 works by Australian artists such as Rick Amor, Lenton Parr and Clement Meadmore. Entry fee includes drinks, finger food, a sausage sizzle, children's activities (sculpture-making workshop, treasure hunt and a magician) and guided tours of the McClelland Sculpture Survey. Tomorrow 4pm-7pm, 390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin, children under 15 free, $75, 9789 1671, mcclellandgallery.com

HIP-HOP TALK

ONE of the many side events to this weekend's Sugar Mountain music/art/film festival is a Q&A session with Peanut Butter Wolf. Wolf is the founder of hip-hop label Stones Throw Records, as well as a DJ and producer in his own right. In this free event, he talks about music videos that have inspired him. The talk is followed by a DJ set from Stones Throw's Jonti as well as special guests. Tomorrow 6pm, Rooftop Bar, Curtin House, 252 Swanston Street, city, free, sugarmountainfestival.com

EXHIBITION

THIS weekend is your last chance to see An Anatomy Lesson. The intriguing exhibition combines images and objects from across the ages, sourced from the University of Melbourne's various collections. There are 17th-century anatomical texts, contemporary video works and traditional drawing and figures studies, all laid out in the form of a giant atlas of the human body. Closes tomorrow.Today and tomorrow noon-5pm, The Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne, Swanston Street, Parkville, free, 8344 5148, art-museum.unimelb.edu.au

TALK

NEIL Gaiman has written everything from fantasy horror for kids (Coraline, The Graveyard Book), episodes of Doctor Who and journalism to a comic book series for adults (The Sandman). Known as a genre-bending and imaginative writer, Gaiman comes to Melbourne for one night to talk about his forthcoming novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Everyone at the event will receive a copy of the first three chapters. January 24, 7.30pm, Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins Street, city, $12-$20, wheelercentre.com